Halloween party ideas 2015

 


Kita biasanya tak terlalu peduli dengan takaran iman. Apalagi itu sulit. Iman tidak berwujud. Tidak bertakaran juga. Takarannya hanya dengan tingkat kepercayaan. Tapi itu pun hanya bersifat interen saja. Yang keluar tetap tak bisa dilihat dan dibuktikan.

 

Iman hanya bisa diukur jika ada peristiwa terkait. Yang menyinggung soal kepercayaan. Memang antara percaya dan iman itu saling terkait. Orang yang percaya Tuhan adalah orang yang beriman pada Tuhan. Tapi, iman jangan dicampur dengan agama. Orang beragama tidak otomatis jadi orang beriman. Jika taat bergama, ia akan jadi orang beragama. Tapi belum tentu disebut orang beriman. Iman sekali lagi terkait dengan kepercayaan, dan tidak terkait dengan kepatuhan pada agama.

 

Iman mestinya bersifat penuh. Berarti tingkat kepercayaannya juga penuh. Tidak ada kata setengah. Kalau pun itu ada, mesti ditambahkan. Inilah yang disampaikan para murid pada Yesus. Mereka—yang meski berada dekat Yesus—rupanya kurang beriman. Mereka memang punya iman tapi kadarnya sedikit. Karena sedikit, iman mereka tidak mampu mengubah orang jahat jadi orang baik. Tapi mereka sadar akan kelemahan ini, sehingga memohon pada Yesus: tambahkanlah iman kami. 

 

Betapa sering kita tidak berlaku seperti para rasul Yesus. Hanya ke gereja sedikit saja, tapi sudah anggap diri orang beriman. Ini tanda kesombongan rohani. Baru berdoa satu kali saja, sudah bisa anggap diri punya iman yang kuat. Parahnya lagi mau mengontrol dan menilai orang lain. Kesombongan ini membuat kita cenderung mengadili orang lain. Padahal, iman itu membuat kita merasa rendah hati. Anggap diri kecil, sehingga ada ruang untuk menjadi besar. Kesombongan rohani adalah tanda bahwa orang itu sudah besar, tak perlu pertolongan orang lain. Termasuk dari Tuhan. Bukan, bukan, bukan ini tanda orang beriman. Ini tanda orang sombong.

 

Tuhan, kadang kami merasa sudah beriman, padahal belum sama sekali. Kadang kami hanya mengikuti kegiatan keagamaan, tapi anggap diri sudah beriman. Kami sadar, iman kami tidak seberapa. Oleh karena itu Tuhan, seperti para rasul-Mu, kami memohon: tambahkanlah iman kami.

 

Km 48, 2/10/22

BK


 

Bulan Oktober adalah Bulan Rosario. Melalui Doa Rosario, kita diingatkan akan Bunda Maria. Bunda Allah, Bunda Yesus, Bunda kita semua. Dalam diri Maria, kita melihat figur seorang pendengar yang baik. Memang Maria selalu mendengarkan malaikat yang menjadi perantara antara Allah dan dirinya (manusia). Meskipun ada keraguan, Maria tetap mau mendengar seruan malaikat, dan menyimpan semua keraguannya dalam hati. Seperti Maria, kadang kita ragu akan banyak hal dalam hidup. Termasuk dalam mengimani Allah, kita pun ragu. Baik jika dalam Bulan Rosario ini, kita memperbarui iman kita. Dengan berdoa kepada Maria, Ibu yang selalu mendengarkan jeritan hati anak-anaknya.


Malam ini, di paroki kami, hadir untuk berdoa Rosario sekitar 74 orang. Dari anak-anak sampai dewasa dan lansia. Kami percaya, Maria lah yang menyatukan kami. Karena dalam diri Maria, kami melihat figur sang Ibu. Dengan lembut hati, Maria mendengar doa-doa kami. Bersama Maria, doa kami sampai kepada Allah di surga. 

 

Selamat memulai Bulan Rosario.

 

Km 48, 1/10/22

BK






“Your culture is your brand,” Tony Hsieh. I agree with this. It was a great moment for me to know their brand. There are so many “mountain tribes” in our parish. I show this picture with some custom clothes. There are Akha Tribe, Lahoo, Hmong, Musee, and China. I was happy to stay among them, among their brands. Now, it has become my brand also. I am among them not only in this picture but also in daily life. As Tony Hsieh mentioned, we also love our culture. That is our brand. 



Thanks for your invitation to be among you at this great moment.



Thailand

Around five days already I arrived in this new place. I remember when my friends accompanied me to come here. It was a sad day for us. Both for me and for them. One of them, until now, still feels sad. She realized that we will miss someone not because of his absence now, but because of his presence before. Like for her, we also have this kind of feeling to our friends or family. Our presence among others created a kind of deep relationship. When we get it, we try to keep it like a baby who never stays far away from his Mom.

The presence of Jesus among His followers created a kind of relationship. Even they didn’t understand this presence, they still have a relationship. The coming back of Jesus to His Father created a new looseness for them. Jesus knows this very well, so that He sends them the Advocate who will accompany them.

I can not leave someone in my place for my friends. So, her sadness will remain as a part of her daily life. But, I believe that Jesus will send the same Advocate for my friends. May the Lord Bless them and make our presence as a grace for others. 


Phillipines



Inilah revolusi cinta
Yang tak kenal batas
Yang melampaui dirinya
Sang pemberi cinta


Terima kasih Yesus
Untuk ajaran-Mu
Untuk kegunaannya
Untuk kehidupan kami


Kami haus cinta
Cinta akan Dikau 
Cinta akan sesama
Cinta akan diri kami sendiri


Kami sudah gila
Sampai lupa mencintai diri kami
Sampai lupa mencintai yang lain
Sampai sama sekali lupa mencintai


Hari ini Engkau datang
Membantu kami
Bangkit dari kegilaan
Yang menjauhkan kami dari cinta


Engkau tahu keinginan kami
Maka Engkau tidak mencabut kami
Dari kegilaan
Hanya arahnya berubah


Kami Engkau buat
Tetap gila-gilaan
Kali ini
Untuk mencintai


Bukan untuk melupakan cinta
Bukan mengabaikan cinta sesama
Bukan menguburkan niat mencinta
Tuhan ajarlah kami mencintai

Agar kami mencintai
Seperti Engkau mencintai kami
Yang mencintai musuh
Bukan saja mencintai sahabat

Cinta ini begitu gila
Kami ingin gila-gilaan bercinta
Sampai melampaui diri
Sampai merangkul musuh


KM48 14/05/20
GA



Thailand

I was touched by what our faithful told me, “Thank you so much father for your presence.” She said this after the confession and received the holy communion. It was in the hospital where she is in these some days later.

This happens not by my planning. One Sister from our parish community invited me to visit our faithful. I can say that God comes to remind me through the Sister. I remember when last week the Bishop told us as the Priest to visit our faithful in this difficult moment. What happened on this day is, in another way, the implementation of what Bishop said. I never imagine the situation that our beloved faithful can feel in our visiting.

All things happen outside of my imagination. We brought the holy communion more than one piece. No one can imagine, God reminds us to bring it like that. Then, we found that four people need holy communion. Today, the Lord comes to answer their desire to receive the holy communion, after two months without Eucharistic celebration.

In the Gospel of today, Jesus not only leaves us His peace, but also continue to bring His peace to all of us. I still remember those words, “Father, thank you so much for your presence today. I can confess and receive the holy communion. I am really happy.” I think what she said is the mirror of her peaceful heart. I bring the holy communion and God brings her a peaceful heart.

Thank you so much for your family. I pray for you. May the Lord continue to give you strong faith and strengthen to face this difficult moment. Thank you also to you Sister who make me able to visit our beloved faithful.



Philippines
Teladan kerendahan hati itu muncul
Dari Yesus Anak Allah
Dan dari orang lain
Seperti Yohanes Pembaptis

Di sekitar kita juga ada banyak
Mereka yang tanpa berkoar
Tapi berani menunjukkan kerendahan hati
Sikap langka yang amat dubutuhkan

Hari ini Yesus muncul
Dengan promosi besar-besaran
Tentang kerendahan hati
Yang kita butuhkan

Katanya amat menarik
Ia berasal dari Bapa
Yang Ia katakan berasal dari Bapa
Yang Ia perbuat dari Bapa

Inilah ungkapan kerendahan hati
Yohanes Pembaptis dulu juga demikian
Dia rela menjadi kecil
Demi membesarkan nama Tuhan Yesus

Tetapi bagi Yesus
Ini lebih dari kerendahan hati
Ini adalah ungkapan kesatuan-nya dengan Bapa
Pancaran cinta trinitas yang melekat erat

Terima kasih Yesus
Atas teladan cinta dan kerendahan hati
Dan pancaran Trinitas yang menyejukkan
Kami juga ingin berkata hanya dari kata-kata-Mu saja.

Mecit 9/05/20
GA



Philippines

Wise personages exist everywhere. Choose the right moment to get it. Wise thought will come out easily. 

I ask the question to my friend, a volunteer from Australia, during our trip long 72 km three days ago. “Why you don’t come back to your country in this difficult time because of the covid-19 pandemic?” I ask this because her friend came back to Australia two months ago. They supposed to stay as a volunteer in Thailand for two years. My friend replied that she needs to stay here because this is part of her mission. For me, her decision not only right but also very smart. She chooses to be a volunteer until the end of her mission. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God, have faith also in me.” The trouble can come from any side of life. No one knows when it can be a danger for life. Only those who have a strong belief can counter the trouble. When they stand on their belief, they will feel comfortable. They can encounter trouble.

Our belief has any kind of trouble. If we have strong faith in Jesus, we can combat it. If not, we will be in trouble for an unpredictable period. Let us pray for those who face the difficult moments, may the Lord bless them, give them a strong faith. The follower of Jesus must be a strong believer. 


 
Hundred Islands
How can we be the light for others if we love the darkness?

Become a light is significant. Many people try to find the light when they walk into a dark place. When our heart is in the darkness because of many problems, we want to see the light from others. Some of us want to see God, hope in His light. Being light is only one side of our life. Another part is the dark lover. Even God comes to bring light for us, we still love the darkness.

Today’s Gospel reminds us to be a light for others. We need the light of our Lord. We may be like the moon, and God remains as the Sun. We receive the light from Him, and we share it with others. I remember this idea when my friend interrogated me. He asked me to choose between becoming the Sun or the moon. I chose to become the moon because his light is cold and clear. We see the moonlight only in the night when the temperature is cold. Moonlight is also very clear because no other light in the night. My friend then explained to me just like I said before. Are you ready to become the light for others?

Lord, give us your light
May we project your light to others
Help us to become a moon to receive your light
Thanks, Lord.



PHILIPPINES


God sometimes warns us through others or experiences. 

Last night I received the messages from my friend. She wrote, “Are you busy these days? I didn’t see the new item on your blog.” This interrogation makes me think about my journey. Yes, these days, I was very busy. Since last Saturday when my computer had a problem. I couldn't fix it until the night lately. I saved my article written already in the file. The following day, I went to celebrate the Mass, later on, I visited one family. I continue to do other activities on Monday. And then, my time ended there. 

Busy days bring me far from my plan. I just say my prayer like holy rosary and breviary without writing the English reflection. I have no time to write my reflection. My plan to write every day changed by busy days. I am not faithful to my schedule. When we focus only on our activities, we put God in another place.

But today, I am very happy to re-start my activity. I am happy to share my reflection with you. God is always faithful to His program. Not like me, who canceled the schedule planning before. Today, God remains me to be faithful to my planning. We can cancel our activities, but we cannot cancel our precious time with God. If we can cancel easily our planning, how can the others believe in us? God has shown us already how faithful, He is.

Bring us o Lord in your love, increase our faith in you who teaches us to believe in God our Lord. Make us realize always in our plan to be with you always.

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